Who S Who on the DAC?

Peterborough DAC

Who’s who on the DAC?

The DAC is appointed by the Bishop’s Council under the requirements of the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991. The two Archdeacons are ex-officio members and the legislation requires that some members are appointed after consultation with English Heritage, the Local Authorities and the National Amenity Societies (bodies with statutory standing that speak on particular architectural periods e.g. Victorian, Georgian, or specialist interests such as monuments or ancient buildings). The Bishop’s Council asks other people with specific expertise and/or practical parish experience to sit on the Committee so that there is a balance of skills, background and insight.

Peter Aiers Peter has had a long association with historic churches from his work in local government, English Heritage, the Diocese of London and the Churches Conservation Trust. Working with communities to find complimentary uses for historic churches has been a constant theme of his career and he has raised over £10m for church based projects. Since joining the Churches Conservation Trust he set up the Regeneration Taskforce and is now Director responsible for 127 historic churches in the South East. Peter is a member of the National Churches Trust grants committee and a member of the Diocese of Peterborough Advisory Committee once again after a 10 year gap. Peter is the National Amenity Societies nominee.

Bruce Bailey is an architectural historian and is responsible for the new edition of the Pevsner Buildings of England volume for Northamptonshire (2013). He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and acts as archivist at Drayton House and for the Althorp Estate. While appreciating liturgical requirements, he is keen that both the aesthetic and historical importance of buildings should not be overlooked.

The Revd Canon Roger Bellamy After a career in teaching, Roger was ordained in 1981 and served in the Diocese of Sheffield until his appointment to King’s Sutton in 2001. He has a life-long interest in church buildings and a particular interest in the way spirituality and architecture relate. He published a book, Spirit in Stone, in 2001 and completed a Master’s degree in Spirituality in 2004. Roger is currently researching ideas relating to re-ordering, liturgy and spirituality.

Whilst sensitive to the need to conserve significant furnishings and artefacts, Roger’s concern is very much with the living church and its Christian mission and the encouragement of new design.

The Revd Canon Grant Brockhouse, a retired priest in The Diocese, has been a member of the DAC for over 15 years and, as an organist, has a particular concern for pipe organs in our churches. He is a graduate of both Adelaide & Exeter Universities and has been involved in cathedral, parish and sector ministries throughout his active ministry. As a parish priest he has been involved in the installation of new organs intwo of his churches over the years and is very aware of the problems associated with historic instruments. His particular knowledge has been gained from playing many organs throughout the world, especially in Europe. This gives rise to his other interest which is the development of the liturgy and how it relates to music within the church's life.

Elizabeth Bryan is the Local Authorities’ nominee. She joined the DAC in 2003 and worked as the Conservation Officer for Rutland County Council from 1997 to 2006. She started her career as an economic historian and spent twenty years lecturing on historic buildings before turning from an academic to a “hands on” career working for Leicestershire County Council. She is a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) and has practical experience of building repair and design. She believes in the need to get the balance right between respect for past generations and consideration for the future.

Quinton Carroll was educated in Derby then read History in Cambridge. He is now Historic Environment Team Manager for Cambridgeshire County Council, over-seeing the operation of the curatorial archaeology service.An earlier career as a bank manager was doubtless a help in dealing with local authority budgeting! He has a special interest in Anglo-Saxon Christianity and has experience in field work projects on churches and churchyards. He is also DCMS nominee on the Church Buildings Council and the Statutory Advisory Committee on Redundant Churches, both part of the Archbishop’s Council.

As well as a history degree, he has a Masters degree in archaeology and has recently completed a further qualification in Historic Building Conservation. He enjoys motorcycle touring and historical re-enactment, sometimes arriving for DAC meetings and site visits on his large bike.

Graham Cook is a recently retired Architect in private practice who specialised in repairs and alterations to churches. Immediately after qualifying from University in 1978 he spent two years working with Trent Valley Archaeological Research Committee and Nottingham City Council Archaeology Department as a site worker, draughtsman and researcher before joining the long established Conservation Architects practice of Bond and Read in 1980, becoming a partner in 1986, and has been a Sole Practitioner since 2003. He has been a member of Lincoln DAC since 2004, an Architect Assessor for the AABC Accreditation Scheme since 2008, a Trustee and active committee member of Lincolnshire Churches Trust since 2005 and joined Peterborough DAC in 2011.

Bruce Deacon was appointed to the DAC in 1999. He has much experience of the practicalities of caring for and repairing churches in addition to building extensions, installing WC facilities and encouraging PCCs to undertake regular maintenance jobs. He is a member of the EASA and specialises in working with parish churches.

The Revd Simon Dommett After nearly 20 years’ experience in Engineering design, testing and manufacture, he was ordained in 1999 and is currently rector of five rural parishes and is also the Rural Dean of Brackley. He is therefore aware of the challenges faced by the PCCs wanting to extend their mission by re-ordering their buildings or providing better facilities within them, as well as the task of church maintenance. His previous experience in engineering has also given him an interest in church buildings.

Tony Fleming is the English Heritage nominee on the DAC.

In a wide ranging career as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments, both in Government and English Heritage, he has been responsible for the protection, conservation, investigation, publication and management of the full span of the heritage from prehistoric to industrialmonuments. His conservation projects have included castles, churches, monasteries, country houses and historic gardens.

Where change to a church is proposed, he believes in the clear understanding of its multiple significances in order to assess potential effects and to inform well designed solutions.

Tony has a particular interest in the history and archaeology ofChristianity.

The Revd Tony Redman MA BSc FRICS IHBC is a conservation accredited Chartered Building Surveyor and a non-stipendiary assistant priest, based in Suffolk. He has served as president of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association, chairman of the RICS conservation group and as vice chairman of the Council for the Care of Churches during which time he edited the last edition of “A Guide to Church Inspection and Repair”. As a surveyor he is concerned about the quality of building work in churches, and as priest he is concerned with the balance between contemporary use of church buildings and maintaining a sense of the “spirituality of place”. His passion is for abstract art which was the subject of the thesis for his master’s degree in Pastoral Theology, awarded in 2005. He is surveyor of the fabric to St Edmundsbury Cathedral, serves on Westminster Abbey Fabric Advisory Committee and looks after churches spread across seven dioceses in England and the rest of Europe

Adrian Ringrose BA(Arch), Dip Arch, RIBA, is Architect and Managing Director and of Stimpson Walton Bond Architects in Northampton. The firm was established in 1964 and has a long history of working with churches, historic and contemporary buildings. He has over 25 years of experience in working with church buildings dating back to his formative years with a Leicester firm of Architects before joining Stimpson Walton Bond in 1989. His church work involves Quinquennial reports, coordinating repairs, reordering, interventions and extensions including the design of new buildings. Adrian is an Approved Inspecting Church Architect for the Dioceses of Peterborough and St Albans and a member of the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association. He joined the Peterborough DAC in 2013.

Geoff Sayers MBE, MCIOB, MIFireE has enjoyed a lifetime experience in the building and construction industry, both in contracting and now in property management. He served as a volunteer fireman for 32 years and was awarded the MBE for services to the Fire Service. He has been actively involved in the care of St Botolph Church Longthorpe for many years, serving in a number of capacities, including churchwarden and project coordinator during the successful cloister building extension at the church. Since 2002 Geoff has worked with the Cathedral Chapter, first as Site Coordinator during the fire damage repair works and currently coordinator for routine and periodic maintenance works in the Cathedral and Precinct properties. His involvement at Longthorpe and the Cathedral has developed a keen interest in both the conservation of buildings and their continuing development to meet current needs of mission and outreach, whilst preserving their heritage for future generations.

John White (Chairman) read History and Law at Cambridge. He qualified as a solicitor in 1969 and was a partner in the Northampton and Cambridge firm of Hewitsons for 35 years until his retirement in 2008. He was a Churchwarden for three years at St Peters Weston Favell Northampton having been a deputy Churchwarden for two years prior to that. He had also been Secretary to the PCC at Overstone Northamptonshire and to the PCC at Weston Favell. He was Secretary of the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust from 1992 to 2007 and has been its Chairman since then.

Diocesan Office (DAC), The Palace, Peterborough PE1 1YB

Tel: 01733 887007 Fax: 01733 555271 email:

January 2016